Robert Pattinson Brings Primetime to London Film Festival

Robert Pattinson introduced A24’s psychological thriller Primetime to a packed BFI IMAX audience at the London Film Festival on Sunday night, Oct. 11, framing the Chris Hansen–inspired drama as both a producer’s gamble and a parent’s nightmare. Variety reported that Pattinson joined director Lance Oppenheim, writer Ajon Singh and co-star Merritt Wever on stage after the UK premiere screening, telling the crowd the script felt like a “grenade” he wanted to make immediately. BBC News covered the same LFF appearance, quoting Pattinson on how the story lands as “the most terrifying thing that can happen to you” for parents and non-parents alike.

According to Variety, Pattinson said he called Singh the day after reading the screenplay, locked Oppenheim within a week and had the project moving “within two weeks.” He described hunting for writing that felt “electrifying,” “original and funny” and “a little dangerous.” BBC News noted he also tied the film’s subject to a newer wave of predator-catching content online, arguing the early-2000s television format has migrated onto social media in similar form.

Variety placed the UK bow in a strong commercial context: after a seven-minute standing ovation at Venice last month, Primetime opened in U.S. theaters on Sept. 25 and has grossed about $42 million domestically and about $45.5 million worldwide against a $14.5 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, with a UK release set for Oct. 30. The film is loosely based on a 2007 Esquire article about Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator and follows Hansen as the show expands into a primetime slot. Filmmakers have described it as a stylized retelling rather than a biopic.

Hansen has publicly rejected that framing. Variety quoted him calling the movie a “complete work of fiction” that is “certainly not flattering,” even as he acknowledged Pattinson’s casting. At Venice, Pattinson said he still hoped Hansen might come around. At the London screening, BBC News reported that Oppenheim answered Hansen’s “bizarre” and “detached from reality” criticism by saying the distance was intentional — “more of a fever dream than something that was representational portrait.”

The LFF stop keeps Pattinson’s 2026 run in the awards conversation without overstating it. BBC News noted the actor’s recent slate — including The Drama opposite Zendaya and a role in The Odyssey — while Pattinson himself declined to turn the night into an Oscars pitch, saying only that the year has been among his best. For festival audiences and UK moviegoers waiting on the Oct. 30 release, the Oct. 11 BFI IMAX premiere delivered the producer’s origin story, the Hansen pushback and a clear reminder that Primetime is arriving as both a box-office breakout and a culture fight.

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Verification: Sunday LFF BFI IMAX premiere, Pattinson producer/lead role, Oppenheim/Singh/Wever stage appearance, “grenade”/electrifying script quotes, Venice ovation, Sept. 25 U.S. release, $14.5M budget, Oct. 30 UK date, Hansen “complete work of fiction” critique and stylized-retelling framing from Variety (Ellise Shafer, Oct. 11, 2026). Parenting/“most terrifying” quotes, social-media predator-catching parallel, Oppenheim “fever dream” response and LFF screening context corroborated by BBC News (Noor Nanji, Oct. 12, 2026).